UFC star Paddy Pimblett has a specific technique in mind for potential Ilia Topuria fight

Paddy Pimblett has something special in mind for a potential fight with fellow UFC star Ilia Topuria.

England’s Pimblett is currently ranked No. 8 in the UFC lightweight division, and is probably just a few more wins from a crack at the division’s title. That title, of course, was recently vacated by long-time champion Islam Makhachev, who is headed up to welterweight. That cleared the way for Spain’s Topuria, the former featherweight champ, to battle Charles Oliveira for the vacant belt in his lightweight debut. The fight goes down at UFC 317 on June 28.

A few things will need to happen before Pimblett and Topuria can fight. Most notably, Topuria will need to fight and presumably beat Oliveira. However, a fight between the two stars does seem inevitable. That’s partly because they’re both right near the top of the heap at lightweight. Yet it’s also because they’ve been talking trash on social media and in interviews for years.

In a recent Instagram post, Pimblett gave a sneak peak of his game plan for Topuria. The post included a photo of him head-kicking Michael Chandler in his last fight — a maneuver he intends to repeat.

 

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“Can’t wait to land one of these on el chorizo,” Pimblett wrote, referencing Topuria’s “El Matador” nickname (not to be confused with his other nickname).

Who will Paddy Pimblett fight next in the UFC?

Pimblett was last in action at UFC 314 in May, when he thrashed Chandler to a third-round TKO win. The win brought him to an impressive 23-3 overall. He is now 7-0 in the UFC, where he has also beaten names like King Green and Tony Ferguson. In his next fight, he will most likely end up fighting somebody ranked ahead of him, such as Justin Gaethje or Dan Hooker.

Topuria, meanwhile, is 16-0 as a pro. His last two wins are among the most impressive in recent MMA history. First, he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight title. Then, he knocked out another featherweight legend in Max Holloway to defend the belt. After that win, he announced plans to vacate his belt and move up to lightweight.